“In the last year I realized I never thanked him for being such a great teammate,” Long said. “And he’s given a lot of people rings there. I mean, it’s a team sport but he’s fantastic. So I just wanted to tell him I appreciated him — and to beat him, that’s a tall task in the Super Bowl.”

Long heaped praise on both Brady and the Patriots organization.

“He’s a legit, hard-working dude. Great teammate,” Long said of Brady. About the Patriots, he said, “That whole group is a lot like us. Great, selfless guys. And on Sunday the best team won. They got a great history though.”

Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount was also a Super Bowl champ with the Patriots last year.

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